By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
The number of people using Gedling’s five leisure centres has increased above and beyond pre-Covid levels.
Attendance to Gedling Borough Council’s Arnold, Redhill, Carlton Forum, Calverton and Richard Herrod leisure centres dropped as low as 148,579 people at the height of the pandemic in 2020/21.
This is the number of individual people walking through the doors of the centres over a full year.
Before the pandemic in 2019/20, the number was more than one million at 1,131,828.
However, during an Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on Monday, April 22, councillors were told visitor numbers had returned and even surpassed the pre-pandemic levels.
Cllr Henry Wheeler (Lab), the portfolio holder for lifestyles, health and wellbeing, said: “Attendance across the five leisure centres has grown steadily over the last few years.
“The target for 2023/24 was quite impressive actually and we surpassed it by 93,000.
“Annual attendance is now higher than the pre-Covid levels by 21,200, which is very good news.”
The target for 2023/24 had been 1,060,000, and this was surpassed with an actual attendance of 1,153,000.
As a result, income for the Labour-run council has also surpassed targets.
It was anticipated Arnold Leisure Centre would bring in £102,000, but it actually made £121,000.
Calverton Leisure Centre made £192,000, above the £180,000 target, while Carlton Forum made £695,000, above its target of £660,000.
Redhill Leisure Centre brought in an income of £348,000, surpassing the £342,000 target.
The council says actual income across the five leisure centres had been £1,356,000, around £72,000 above the target.
Swim School is also becoming more popular, the council says, with members increasing from 3,825 in April 2023 to 4,070 by the end of the year.
Membership to the Swim School has surpassed pre-Covid levels by more than 1,271 people, or more than 45 per cent.
Swim lesson income across Arnold, Calverton and Carlton Forum leisure centres came in £68,000 above target as a result, with a total of £1,221,000.
The authority says Swim England provided £147,525 to help support rising energy costs at leisure centres with pools.
Cllr Wheller says a pool-side audio upgrade, alongside mood lighting, at Calverton Leisure Centre has made the facility more accessible for people living with disabilities.
The sensory improvements have proven popular among groups supporting people living with autism, and the group now “regularly use the pool”.
“It is a very inclusive development there,” Cllr Wheeler added.
Three new treadmills have also been installed at Calverton, while a newly refurbished fitness studio has opened at Carlton Forum.
